Some TV stations up here normally devote nightly blocks β and whole days and weeks β to, say, the original Star Trek series or The Office anyway. I wasted my post-op convalescence last November mainlining every episode of House (which I never saw in its original run) from morning to midnight, starting all over again the next day β and I didn't even like it that much.

But if you're one of those who've been marathoning Netflix or Disney+, consider what follows a palate cleanser:

In my defense, think of this column as That's Entertainment! (1974) if That's Entertainment! had been only about an hour long, and made by a singular, very strange person.

Come to think of it: You could do worse than watching that venerable cinematic "scrapbook" if you're suffering from binge fatigue, since, while the movie itself is long, nothing in it lasts more than a few minutes, and all of it is great fun. (That's Entertainment! streams here.)

Some may prompt you to check out the whole film (or add it to your "must avoid at all costs" list) but first, here's a clip that can stand on its own.

While certainly not THE most famous scene in The Little Foxes (1941), this one, in which meek Aunt Bertie finally gets to speak without interruption, could easily be transcribed and passed off as a classic American short story, by Eudora Welty perhaps.

I love Nicholas Cage β the Kirk Douglas of our time β and although director Brian De Palma is equally unfashionable these days, I don't care. People loathe Snake Eyes (1998) if they think about it at all, but I never get sick of it. Here's the bravura "one take" 12-minute opening sequence.

I wanted so much to post the full "Born in a Trunk" sequence from 1954's A Star is Born (another unpopular opinion: it's superior to the "ballet" from An American in Paris) but couldn't source it. However, when I re-watched that Judy Garland vehicle last week out of the corner of my eye, I was so struck by her performance in this scene I dropped what I was doing. (Note that it, too, is one long take).

On the topic of "takes": I also accidentally got sucked into Zodiac (2007) over the weekend. One sequence in particular is a master class in editing, blocking and cinematography. (Roger Ebert agreed.)

It's so elementary β Creating Movie Tension: 101 β that this bit could almost pass as a clever film school parody of cinematic suspense "tricks." It shares DNA with Psycho and The Silence of the Lambs, but such "tricks" have been employed for a century precisely because they work.

All you need to know is that Jake Gyllenhaal's character is a newspaper cartoonist obsessed with unmasking the infamous Zodiac Killer, who sent encrypted letters to police, and seemed to be fixated on the 1932 movie The Most Dangerous Game.

After devoting himself to research to the point of losing his job and his family, the now ex-cartoonist β haggard, yet fairly jangling with raw energy β has at last winnowed his amateur investigation down to one suspect.

And Gyllenhaal believes he's found just the fellow to confirm his suspicions. Make that his certainties.

The gnomic owner of the old "rep" cinema where his prime suspect worked as a projectionist...

Have you exhaled yet?

(PS: For lightly-technical and enjoyable "autopsies" explaining what makes this scene so effective, watch here and here.)

As for a master class in acting, I present Meryl Streep and Viola Davis in 2008's Doubt, speaking John Patrick Shanley's award-winning words.

On a much lighter note (that is also a bit of a cheat) let's talk about Documentary Now!, the TV series helmed by comedians Bill Hader and Fred Armisen which parodies a different famous theatrical-run documentary in every episode.

Hader and Armisen's talent for such spoofs came to light on SNL, with their mind blowing (if you're an old punk like me) mock-doc about a fictional British band. Mediocre fake documentaries leave no trope unturned. That's the easy part. But Hader and Armisen go all out: a lot of heart is threaded through the gags; they rope in cameos from famous straight-faced scenesters; and the very best include an out-of-left-field twist.

Since I've seen most of the classics they're paying homage to in Documentary Now!, I can't speak to whether or not these eye-wateringly accurate, lovingly crafted spoofs will amuse or impress viewers going in totally cold. Sorry.

How "lovingly crafted"? When filming their homage to Errol Morris' ground breaking doc The Thin Blue Line, they rented the same camera lenses Morris used, from the same small photo equipment supplier.

And if you told me that, in 1974, England Dan and John Ford Coley covered a Steely Dan song and it went to number one, well, thanks to the Documentary Now! biopic about The (fictional) Blue Jean Committee, I might have believed you.

Their creations are so respected that when Criterion released the Maysles brothers' historic Salesman (1969) last month, the many bonus features included a loving commentary by... Bill Hader, along with his parody β Globesman β made with DN! partner Fred Armisen, in full.

(At the risk of putting you back on the binge-watching bandwagon, you can watch complete episodes of Documentary Now! free at CBC Gem, or via Amazon Prime.)

However, as exquisitely crafted and well-observed as the Documentary Now! offerings are, none of them top what I believe is the greatest live action short film ever made, period.

I'll be honest: This whole column was kind of my excuse to tell you about it.

Because it was only released on YouTube and not theatrically, this little flick never won any fancy awards. (It was up for a Nebula, but was eliminated from the running on a technicality.)

Mark Steyn Club members can let Kathy know what they think in the comments. If you want to join in on the fun, make sure to sign up for a membership for you or a loved one. To meet many of your fellow club members in person, join Mark along with John O'Sullivan, Michele Bachmann and several others aboard our upcomingMark Steyn Cruise down the Mediterranean.

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33 Member Comments

Great job Kathy. One of my all time favourites is Harold and Maude. Almost every show is perfect.

Kathy Shaidle Jay Schmidt • Apr 28, 2020 at 10:09

I watched it obsessively as a teenager, but not sure what I'd make of it today.

King K • Apr 27, 2020 at 17:50

Kathy - Here's a scene you have to like: DiCaprio visits his shrink (Vera Farmiga) in The Departed. Concludes with his line, "Why don't you just give me a bottle of scotch and a handgun so I can blow my &%*$#@! head off?!" The whole scene is great; by far, my favorite scene from that movie.

Josh Passell • Apr 27, 2020 at 06:17

The Frances Gumm clip, wow. I have a hard time with melodrama unless it involves cattle and Comanches, so I haven't seen any of the Stars being Born. But this scene, from the first second to last is harrowing. It's not like Judy doesn't get her due, but I think she was prettier than she gets credit for (mega-crush on her in Wizard), sexier than she gets credit for (her liver gave out before her legs ever did), a better dancer than she gets credit for (I can barely keep my eyes on Gene Kelly in "For Me and My Gal"), and a better actress than she gets credit for (here). I'm not a friend of Dorothy, or even an acquaintance: she was a mess, and I don't have a lot of time for messes. But I do quite admire her from a distance. What gams!

Kathy Shaidle Josh Passell • Apr 27, 2020 at 08:26

She really does a great job in that scene, all one take, and that "ugly crying" that not every actress can pull off. You really feel the frustration of someone who is doing their duty by their loved one, but is also resentful and burdened by it, which is so human.

Nigel Sherratt • Apr 27, 2020 at 05:59

Wonderful selection and some discoveries thank you ("she was right about the Euro"). The Casablanca roulette scene is a very strong candidate. A modern version would make Capt. Renault sleazier, a grotesque cross between Maj. Strasser and Ugarte but Claude Rains is far more believable and hence the impact of the scene far more profound. Poor Mary Macgregor 'groomed' into fighting on the wrong side with her fascist brother (unlike Rick) has a horrible resonance with Samina Begum who was very likely (according to Private Eye's 'Rotten Boroughs: Faulty Towers', online) groomed by the corrupt local government officials paid to protect her.

Kathy Shaidle Nigel Sherratt • Apr 27, 2020 at 08:23

Thanks so much, Nigel. I'll have to look into that Samina Begum matter.

Raymond Swenson • Apr 26, 2020 at 21:13

I have seen thr mockumentary that parallrls Nanook pf the North, in which Fred Armisen plays an eskimo who takes control of thr filming, and in the process introduces innoative camera techniques such as having the camera ride in the dogsled or running parallel to the path of the sled.

Kathy Shaidle Raymond Swenson • Apr 27, 2020 at 08:22

That one pleasantly surprised me. I wasn't sure what to expect but as I say, their best Doc Now!s take a turn that is utterly original. Not all of them are great comedy, but even then they are so technically proficient that I have to give them props.

The one about the pretentious performance artist is one I'd recommend for sure.

Mike Walsh • Apr 26, 2020 at 14:29

Lots of fun, this. Perhaps you could do a Roger Corman retrospective.

Also, is Queen of Outer Space the most prescient sci-fi film ever? Does it need to be remade with an all-drag cast?

Kathy Shaidle Mike Walsh • Apr 26, 2020 at 17:42

Corman's output is so up and down, but something to think about. I'm really more interested in the stories of how him movies got made than the movies themselves. I love Queen of Outer Space!

Stephen Bloom • Apr 26, 2020 at 14:28

The Ian Dury named parody band was priceless. I still get chuckles reminding some English acquaintances how great a PM she was. NASSA will stay with me forever! And that scene in Casablanca, rather worldly don't you think? Still, the inspector gets to be redeemed at the end...curious.

Kathy Shaidle Stephen Bloom • Apr 26, 2020 at 17:43

Thanks Stephen! Glad you enjoyed all that.

Chris Hall aka MCF • Apr 26, 2020 at 12:08

One more quick comment. I too very much liked the Old Negro Space Program, which was widely appreciated in space site circles a few years back. In a similar vein, there's the full length feature film "C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America", which is an alternate-history modern day TV "documentary" about the history of the CSA, assuming that they had won the Civil War. I particularly like the brief interview segments from free African-American historians living in Canada. But the real treats are the fake TV advertisements sprinkled throughout the documentary. The film opens with one of these and it would be a perfect addition to today's selections. The film is on Youtube.

Kathy Shaidle Chris Hall aka MCF • Apr 26, 2020 at 14:11

I keep meaning to watch this, thanks for the reminder.

Chris Hall aka MCF • Apr 26, 2020 at 11:08

Hi Kathy,

"I'll be there at 10" is one of our favorite lines from Casablanca. We also greatly appreciate the under appreciated lace merchant "for extra special friends of Rick we have an extra special discount" scene.

Cagney speaking Yiddish is a gem I'd never seen.

I have a special scene that always gets me. It's from the nth "remake" of The Prisoner of Zenda called Dave with Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver and Ving Rhames. Right after Dave fakes a stroke and the real brain dead president is substituted in an ambulance, the Secret Service agent played by Rhames says that he would have taken a bullet for the fake president. That scene, along with Dave walking away from the ambulance is the most powerful scene in the movie. I know Mark doesn't like Dave, but it's one of my faves.

Viz Shock Corridor, you might be interested in La Putain Respectueuse, which Sartre dumbly produced, or Les LΓ’ches Vivent D'Espoir. French films playing on the theme of American racism to gratify masturbatory pre-post-structuralist anti-American agitprop.

I can't remember which is set in "Texas" with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Must be the Elderberry wine.

Karen Deutsch • Apr 26, 2020 at 08:25

Dear Kathy Shaidle,This concept is just terrific. I learned so much from your selections. I love movies, but lately have had a rough time committing to the time required to finish one not previously watched. The exchange between the women in Doubt - breath stopping. The metalhead who loved Mrs. Thatcher - what a hoot!! The opening of Snake Eyes - fascinating. Grey Gardens - a film I'd never heard of but now have to chase down. It would be wonderful if you could include one of these little 'short takes' in each of your columns (of which I am a faithful weekly reader). Thank you, thank you.

Kathy Shaidle Karen Deutsch • Apr 26, 2020 at 08:47

Thanks so much, Karen. I just wasn't up for another in-depth analysis this week, and thought this would be fun. Glad you agreed.

Be sure to watch the real Grey Gardens and not the fictional version starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange (who at least redeems herself after her horrible performance as "Joan Crawford" in "Feud." But why watch that when you can watch the original.

Grey Gardens is weirdly fascinating: How do people with everything end up with nothing? Are we supposed to laugh at these women? Pity them?

Bob Belvedere Kathy Shaidle • Apr 26, 2020 at 16:36

I agree with Karen: good, fun choice, Kathy.

Josh Passell • Apr 26, 2020 at 06:52

I'm still working my way through these (NASSA? Please, n***o.), but I feel I have to submit another tour-de-force sequence of filmmaking. The opening of John Ford's epic, The Searchers, plays out the title V.S. Naipaul wouldn't stumble upon for another 31 years: the enigma of arrival. I can't not post a link to it, but I really only intend for you to watch the first 1:35. Barely a word spoken, but volumes of mysteries suggested. (Perhaps the biggest mystery of all is why sodbusters in old westerns build their houses on hardpan tracts fit only for sagebrush and scorpions. Can't beat the view, however.)

Kathy Shaidle Josh Passell • Apr 26, 2020 at 08:42

I just rewatched The Searchers the other day. I wanted to avoid posting any clip that I felt was the usual "American Film Institute" Greatest Scenes, but that would have been the FINAL shot. I will have to remind myself of the opening.

The arrival at the burned out homestead is still chilling -- show don't tell at its best. The suggestion of rape -- with nothing more than bits of gingham dresses -- is so much more powerful than the nauseating Obligatory Rape Scenes of every other movie in the 1970s. I onced watched Deliverance with a room full of men, and got to say, "Now you know how I feel everything time we go to the movies..."

Joseph Butler • Apr 26, 2020 at 06:29

Aside from all the Ken Burns-isms-the wistful folk music, the somber reading of letters-the interviewee stands out. His African-hat pretension, condescension, need to explain a word with a synonym...perfect.

Kathy Shaidle Joseph Butler • Apr 26, 2020 at 08:48

Yep, that's the creator of the film, doing quadruple duty in that part. So perfect! The hat!!

David Kelley-Wood • Apr 26, 2020 at 05:16

Whether that Joy Page-roulette Casablanca scene is in the top three from that movie or not can be debated, I guess. But, I know that it's the one scene from the movie that I've watched the most times, by far!

Several years ago, for a kinda sorta business trip, our regional manager booked a bunch of us managers into Resorts International in Atlantic City. Each evening for three days running, most of us would either do a little gambling, or observe the goings on in the casino.

Making a long story short, I had to come up with a game plan for increasing a group stake by a certain percentage at the roulette table. I ended up giving my boss the choice of either picking 10 different numbers for a single spin, or for 10 separate spins. He wanted to string it out and make sure the blame would be shared in case we lost. So, he coaxed a single pick from each of ten people, one of which was "22" from one of the managers' wives. I knew where she'd gotten it from, and danged if we didn't hit on it on our 8th spin!

That seemed to me to be an insight into the woman's romantic side, and from that point on, I thought of her husband as "just a lucky guy."

J B McL • Apr 25, 2020 at 22:53

This looks good, so I will have to come back and watch it all tomorrow.

I remember seeing the Blsckstronauts documentary years ago. What a side splitter!

Ken Costa • Apr 25, 2020 at 18:56

The funniest stuff on SNL is the stuff that isn't L.

Kathy Shaidle Ken Costa • Apr 26, 2020 at 08:50

Their best live sketch of the last 10 years, and certainly in their history, was "Black Jeopardy with Tom Hanks." It made me tear up. Deserved a Peabody Award. Just astonishingly well observed, timely yet classic. And yes, full of heart. I'm still shocked they did it.

Ken Costa Kathy Shaidle • Apr 26, 2020 at 12:02

Yes! I loved that sketch. Like a lot of great comedy it showcased uncomfortable truths without ever resorting to pettiness or condescension. But for me the funniest things on SNL are their parody ads with the ones for the Starbucks Verismo (with the Verquonica add-on accessory) and Amazon Echo "Silver" being my two favourites.

Joseph Butler Kathy Shaidle • Apr 26, 2020 at 13:00

Hanks was also in an SNL parody of sorts called "Tales of Ribaldry" that featured Jon Lovitz as well. I remember it being pretty funny.

Owen Morgan • Apr 25, 2020 at 18:42

"The Negro Space Program" is absolute genius, such a brilliant parody of a Ken Burns documentary. Of course, there must be a germ of truth in it, because it would explain why there are so many wrecked, former United States school buses in Guatemala.